How to backup a SAP server

[FCITDEPTAMATTHEYCOM]

Hi, I know the subject sounds a bit dumb but it's not quite as dumb as it sounds.

I know SnapManager for SAP backs up the database, offline and redo logs etc but what should I do about the rest of the server which is a virtual windows server and stored on NetApp storage?

Should I create a normal filer snapshot one time or any time I install O/S patches and leave it at that? Do modifications made by SAP developers get picked up by the SnapManager4sap product or do I need to do a full filer snapshot to get those changes?

I'm just trying to think how I would restore a SAP server in a worste case scenario of site wide destruction. Would I restore a normal filer snapshot from tape and then restore a SnapManager for SAP snapshot on top?

If I have to do full filer snapshots to get the whole VM and also SnapManager for SAP snapshots then arent I duplicating snapshots albiet one has a more consistant DB state?

Thanks for any advice

Graham

[radek_kubka]

Hi Graham,

For the guest Windows OS backup you can either use Virtual Storage Console snapshots, or SnapDrive snapshots. The former can be treated as a fully blown backup & recovery application, with schedules, backup catalogue, etc. (backup & recovery functions of VSC are chargeable).

For DR purposes you can either do SnapMirror / SnapVault replication to a secondary system, or backup snapshots to tape, ideally using NDMP integration (on that note - it is also worth to mention SnapProtect, which can deal with that end-to-end, i.e snapshots & tape backups would be managed by the same application).

Regards,

Radek

[FCITDEPTAMATTHEYCOM]

Hi Radek,

Would the Oracle databases that SAP uses be consistant though if we just used normal snapshots? I thought the idea of SM for SAP was to quiessce the database before a snapshot like a backupexec agent would.

Many thanks

Graham

[radek_kubka]

Well, as per your original post - I thought you're asking how to backup the server itself (OS, binaries, etc.), not the databases.

To recap:

- SMSAP for application-consistent database & log backups

- VSC / SMVI for file-system-consistent (or crash-consistent) OS backups

[FCITDEPTAMATTHEYCOM]

Hi Radek,

I was asking how to do both. I wasnt sure if VSC did a good enough job to make the database consistant so I only had to snapshot the server once. It seems like I have to do two snapshots for a SAP server. One for OS and the other for a consistant database.

Thanks for your help.

Graham

[thomas_glodde]

Graham,

for snapshot only backups refer to TR-3858 "Using crash-consistent snapshot copies as valid oracle backups".

otherwise, as stated above, use sm sap for the db and smvi/vsc for the virtual machine itself.